Dentex

Photo: Falk Viczian Solarboot-Projekte gGmbH · CC BY-NC

Schools of dentex patrol the reef drop-offs at Ereikoussa, their deep-bodied silver forms circling in loose formation between 15 and 28 metres. Dentex are among the Mediterranean's top reef predators, hunting large prey fish in cooperative chases along the reef edge. Their abundance here is a direct indicator of the site's ecosystem health, as they are heavily targeted by spearfishing wherever they occur closer to populated coasts.